Sunday, April 30, 2006

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Q&A - Shacknews

(click image for larger pic)

With E3 fast approaching, the guys at Splash Damage are in crunch mode to make sure Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is in top form when it's playable at the show. I managed to get a few questions off to studio owner and lead designer Paul "Locki" Wedgwood, who answered at much greater length than I had expected given how busy they must be.

Locki brings plenty of the experience to the table for Quake Wars, having previously served as lead designer on the popular Q3F mod and then of course serving as lead designer on the surprisingly free Enemy Territory: Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Here's what he had to say about my Quake Wars queries: (interview and more pics from game at link)

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Westboro Baptist Church Insane Woman on Fox News YouTube

Westboro Baptist Church is an organization based in Topeka, Kansas, headed by minister Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. and notorious for running godhatesfags.com and other websites expressing its condemnation of various groups (see "WBC Websites" below). Although its members identify themselves as Baptists, the church is one of many independent Baptist churches throughout the United States not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations. The church describes itself as following Primitive Baptist and Calvinist principles, though it has been accused by others of Satanism or more lightly, Hyper-Calvinism.[1]

The group bases much of its work around the dogmatic belief that "God hates fags" (its best known slogan and the address of its primary website) and expresses the opinion that nearly every tragedy in the world is linked to homosexuality (specifically society's increasing tolerance and acceptance of gay, lesbian and bisexual people); they believe God hates homosexuals above all other kinds of sinners.[2] In addition to their anti-homosexual stance, the organization also possesses a strong anti-semitic stance, picketing Holocaust Memorials in an attempt to downplay the severity of the event, and holding the belief that "Jews killed Christ."

The organization is monitored as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.[3] Not only is Westboro opposed by supporters of gay rights, but the vast majority of Christian groups (even those who agree with Westboro that homosexuality is a sin) oppose Westboro's theology and practice, believing it to be incompatible with authentic Christian teachings.[4]

Mother Punches Teacher in the Face [LiveDigital embed vid]

www.myspace.com/murdoch_rupert

Teh funny. Check out the site for more spoofing on Rupert Murdoch.

"Rupert Murdoch's BlurbsAbout me:I just bought MySpace.com, soon I will own the rest of the internet.

I aspire to become the most powerful man in the world. I promote the efforts and conjunction between right wing conservatism and government. I encourage my television and radio stations to become Republican soapboxes.

There are many important benefits to fascism.

'I'm a catalyst for change … You can't be an outsider and be successful over 30 years without leaving a certain amount of scar tissue around the place.'

'The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.'

'In motivating people, you've got to engage their minds and their hearts. I motivate people, I hope, by example - and perhaps by excitement, by having productive ideas to make others feel involved.'

'For better or for worse, our company (The News Corporation Ltd.) is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values.'

'Much of what passes for quality on British television is no more than a reflection of the narrow elite which controls it and has always thought that its tastes were synonymous with quality.'

'You can't build a strong corporation with a lot of committees and a board that has to be consulted every turn. You have to be able to make decisions on your own.'

Monday, April 24, 2006

The Downtown Show: The New York Art Scene, 1974–1984

For over 150 years, Downtown New York has been an epicenter of creative ferment. Indeed, for New Yorkers and just about everyone else, Downtown is synonymous with experimentation. This exhibition examines the rich cross-section of artists and activities that coexisted and often overlapped in Lower Manhattan between 1974 and 1984. Emerging out of the deflated optimism of the Summer of Love and energized by the enactment of the Loft Law—which made it legal for artists to live in SoHo’s industrial spaces—the Downtown scene attracted painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, performers, filmmakers, and writers who could afford the then-low rents of SoHo lofts and Lower East Side tenements. Downtown artists violated the gap between high art and mass culture, removed the production and reception of avant-garde art from isolation in elite circles, and directly confronted social and political concerns. Creating work that was both populist and subversive as well as utopian and raw, they irreverently pushed the limits of traditional artistic categories—visual artists were also writers, writers developed performance pieces, performers incorporated videos into their works, and everyone was in a band. (more)

Do You Have Hipsters? by Eric Feezell

I don't have hipsters, but I might have a case of the trotskys. I'm just gonna assume they are the same thing.

"Have you recently found yourself asking any of the following questions?

—Whose fixed-gear bicycle is that in my garage?

—Where do I keep misplacing the charger for my iPod Nano?

—Why are there vast amounts of food mysteriously not missing from my pantry and refrigerator each week?

Yes? Then, chances are, you’ve got hipsters.

Hipster infestations have become commonplace in modern times. One day, life seems completely normal. The next, you’ve got an anorexic in a train-conductor hat scurrying across your kitchen in the middle of dinner. This, understandably, can be a pretty disconcerting sight." (more at link)

e-closure - documenting breakup letters anonymously online

"SUBMITTED BY: STEVELENGTH OF RELATIONSHIP: 3 monthsINFO: Cindy and I met through work, and began dating in January of 2005. We broke up three months later, because of general relationship dysfunction... Cindy was constantly doubting the validity of our relationship, so I broke up with her to save us both the misery and time. I had been broken up with her for two months - almost the length of our relationship - when we began this e-mail exchange. I hadn't returned her e-mail for a week, because I was out of the country for a wedding, and that was how it started." (full letters at link)

We Are Monkeys [The J-Walk Blog]

Good use of Google Images. I laughed when I saw the Flying Spaghetti Monster reference.

"In March 2005 a student at UCSD created a flash animation set to a live spoken word recording of mine called Dance, Monkeys, Dance. He did this without my knowledge as part of a class project, then posted the animation online where it quickly spread.

While I was flattered by the effort, I didn't feel the animation was very representative of my words, and I had problems with many of the images used. Indignant, I resolved to create my own animation for the piece, purely for my own amusement."

Sunday, April 23, 2006

'Dorkbot' meetings gaining worldwide cult status

The Geeks shalt inherit the old Atari game syste... err. teh Earth!!1

NEW YORK -- About 200 people crammed into a sleek SoHo art gallery on a recent weekday night, sitting on chairs, on radiators and on the floor. Others jammed the entrance to catch a glimpse of the unusual presentation unfolding on a projection screen in front of them.

A computer scientist demonstrated a virtual lava lamp -- physically manipulating the colorful blobs on the screen by stretching them with his fingers. The crowd listened intently as he extolled the wonders of "multi-touch interaction research."

Friday, April 21, 2006

Wonder Showzen | The A.V. Club

With few exceptions, TV seeks to be broad, accessible, and inoffensive. Boundary-pushing shows do exist, but there are unspoken lines that most don't even bother approaching. Enter Wonder Showzen, a half-hour MTV2 program that feels like Sesame Street reared by smart, cynical, degenerate wolves. (A disclaimer before each episode states, "The stark, ugly, and profound truths Wonder Showzen exposes may be soul-crushing to the weak of spirit. If you allow a child to watch this show, you are a bad parent or guardian.") Sure, but what about the kids that are actually on the show? The first season—out now on DVD—features mostly young children interacting with evil (or stupid, or both) puppets and the occasional guest star (Amy Sedaris, Flavor Flav, Christopher Meloni). A smiling kid saying "I want to punch God in the face" may be one of the weirdest things on TV this year, but it isn't even close to the show's funniest or most offensive moments. Regular features include Clarence, a puppet that harasses people on the street; cartoons on everything from a heroin-shooting Bible to a canine gynecologist; and the amazing "Beat Kids," in which precocious preteens (most notably a red-headed scamp named Trevor) ambush unsuspecting people with bizarre, biting questions. (To a stockbroker: "Who did you exploit today?") Just prior to the second season's debut, The A.V. Club spoke with joke-prone Wonder Showzen creators John Lee and Vernon Chatman. (full interview at link)

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH - hip hop preacher tells the troof

LOL. Of all the stoned preachers I've seen in my life, he is the stoniest. Make sure your headphones are on for this vid if you are at work.

"Here's a real gem I recorded on Public Access TV back in the 90's. I recently found the tape and want to share it with you all. If you like your religion peppered with profanity, "The Spirit of Truth" is the man for you. He does it all; reads from a giant phone-book size Bible, takes phone call and curses out callers with opposite opinions than his. This has to be seen to be believed. WARNING!!!: This man loves to drop the F-bomb! Enjoy"

"THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

For those of you who like your religion littered with profanity, then this is seriously the video for you:

“I come in the name of Jesus, b!tch!”“Who created your @ss?”“The devil is a motherf*cking liar!”"

Schools may ban hurtful T-shirt slogans | Reuters.com

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Public schools can bar clothing with slogans that are hurtful, a U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday in the case of a student who wore a T-shirt saying 'Homosexuality is shameful.'

The 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals backed a San Diego-area high school's argument that it was entitled to tell a student to remove a T-shirt with that message." (more) Schools may ban hurtful T-shirt slogans | Reuters.com

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Pope calls for end to Iran Sofar Away crisis and more of Himself On A Rope

Pope calls for end to Iran crisisPope Benedict XVIThe Pope marks Easter Sunday on his 79th birthdayPope Benedict XVI has called for a negotiated solution to the Iran nuclear crisis, in his traditional Easter message in St Peter's Square in Rome.

"May an honourable solution be found for all parties, through honest and serious negotiations," he said.

He also affirmed Israel's "just right to exist in peace" while calling on the international community to help the Palestinians move towards statehood.

It is Pope Benedict XVI's first Easter as pontiff.

His Easter message - "Urbi et Orbi" - was broadcast live on television to more than 50 countries, while about 100,000 people gathered in the square. (more at link)

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Woot : Palm Zire 31

"If you’re looking for the ultimate advanced, high-end, feature-rich PDA, try Googling the phrase “advanced, high-end, feature-rich PDA”, because you won’t find it here. The PalmOne Zire 31 is like a set of training wheels for your first wobbly PDA ride, or a training bra for your just-budding PDA breasts." (more funny at link)

"With the publication of his 2004 New York Times bestseller, “The End of Faith,” a full-throttle attack on religion, Sam Harris became the most prominent atheist in America.

For many, that would be a profoundly dubious honor. A recent national study by University of Minnesota researchers found that atheists are America’s least trusted minority group—trusted less than Muslims, recent immigrants and homosexuals. Americans are also least willing to approve of their children marrying atheists, according to the study." (more at link) Truthdig - Reports - Sam Harris: The Truthdig Interview